A FIELD TRIP TO MANAS NATIONAL PARK, ASSAM
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY DON BOSCO COLLEGE, TURA (6TH-7TH MAY,2023)
A Field trip to Manas National Park was carried out on 6th and 7th of May, 2023 comprising of BSc 6th Semester Zoology Honours students about 24 in number along with 3 lecturers, Madam Rani Aruldass, Sir Tenang Marak and Sir Surjoron Hajong from the Department of Zoology, Don Bosco College, Tura for an educational tour to Manas National Park. The aim and objective of this tour is to study the ecological importance of the park and its diversity in fauna and flora. The teachers concerned were assigned by the Head of the Department, Dr. Biswajit Paul, to support and guide the students in completing their assigned task as a part of the syllabus.
We left the college campus for an adventurous trip to Manas National Park on 6th May, 2023 at 06:30am and reached the destination at around 02:30pm. The site to be visited was initially selected and a contact with the forest guide, Mr. Rajib Kumar Goyeri for the site was also made for the necessary arrangement of the date and time. A logistic plan was done well ahead, to achieve the chief objective of the field trip such as selecting the date and location of the field trip, transportation arrangements, educational purpose of the field trip, provisions for special needs of students, lunch arrangements, lodging, finance, trip schedule and the first aid.
Manas is located in the foothills of the Eastern Himalaya and is densely forested. Manas National Park is UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, Project Tiger Reserve, Biosphere Reserve and an Elephant Reserve, in Assam, India. The Manas River also serves as an international border dividing India and Bhutan. It is a major tributary of Brahmaputra river, which passes through the heart of the national park.The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare, golden langur and pygmy hog .The park is 950 square kilometres (370 sq.mt) in the area and is situated at an altitude of about 61-1110 metres (200-361 ft) above the mean sea level.
There are two major biomes present in Manas-The grassland biomes includes pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros, Bengal florican, wild Asian buffalo, etc. The forest biomes include slow loris, capped langur, wild pig, sambar, great hornbill, Malayan giant squirrel, Chinese pangolin etc. The sanctuary has recorded 55 species of mammals, 380 species of birds, 50 of reptiles, and 3 species of amphibians. Out of these wildlife, 21 mammals are India’s schedule 1 mammals and 31 of them are threatened. The combination of sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terrai region with riverine succession leading up to the Himalaya subtropical broadleaf forests, make it one of the richest biodiversity areas in the world. A total of 543 plants species have been recorded from the core zone.
Gaining knowledge becomes more thrilling, when one is on a safari ride. It was an enthralling experience for us, on a safari ride to spot many animals moving around, such as herds of elephants, pygmy hogs, black giant squirrel, Indian monitor lizard, golden langur, capped langur, sambar deer, etc. The sight of beautiful birds also captivated us for its majestic beauty such as peacocks, peahens, kingfishers, jungle fowl, magpie robins, red crested pochard, guinea fowl, pheasant, osprey, bulbuls, harriers, etc. The landscapes were indeed picturesque and it kept us mesmerized. It was around 06:30pm, when we came out of the national park.
Our adventurous trip came to an end and on the way back home, we halted at St. Joseph High School, Barpeta, Assam to stay for a night. We were overwhelmed by the warm welcome and kind hospitality rendered by Rev. Fr. Thadeus Kujur, sdb, Rector& Parish Priest of Catholic Church Barpeta Road, for which we are very much grateful. Our gratitude goes to Father Principal Bivan Rodrigues Mukhim, Don Bosco College, Tura and the Vice Principal Rev Fr. John Paul Tirkey, for making all the necessary arrangements for our stay at St. Joseph institution and also for arranging the college bus in making this trip a memorable one.
Thus, the trip was successful and it was a great learning for the students in getting an opportunity in gaining their knowledge, through the practical experiences. They will be writing a field report on their visit to Manas National Park, depicting the findings and experiences from the trip by correlating the theoretical knowledge that they have learnt in the classes with their practical experiences in nature.
